Vitality Gauge

Vitality Gauge


In the Devil May Cry series, the Vitality Gauge, sometimes better known as a "life bar" or "HP bar," is a measure of how much health the character or enemy has left before he/she is defeated. Typically, the gauge only shows on the player and boss enemies; however, it is displayed for all enemies in the second game. In all games, the bar for the player starts at roughly a quarter of its potential full length and is extended by collecting Blue Orbs and Blue Orb Fragments. These orbs will be hidden throughout levels, offered as the prize for completing Secret Missions, and can be purchased from Divinity Statues. The gauge can be depleted by enemy attacks, traps, harsh environments (such as the poisonous gas in Mission 15 of Devil May Cry 4), and certain key items that drain vitality (such as the Guiding Light in Devil May Cry). The amount of life drained for both player and foe frequently depends upon the mode of difficulty that was selected at the start of the game. It does not change length between difficulties. Rather, the attack and defense of the enemy increases with each higher mode, making the gauge deplete more slowly for them and more quickly for the player. Vitality can be restored through the use of Vital Stars and collecting Green Orbs.

Appearance
In all games, the Vitality Gauge for the player appears as green bar. The amount of green left is the amount of health remaining. With the exception of Devil May Cry 2, a full gauge will appear as two bars stacked atop one another. For the second game, a full gauge is represented as a blue bar overlaying a green bar. In the first two installments, the bar is a solid length, and each Blue Orb will add a small amount to this total. In the third and fourth games, the bar is made up of a series of small segments, and each Blue Orb will add one segment to the total length. While the bar is segmented, it should be noted that damage is still calculated as portions of a segment and not whole parts. When life is restored, the first game represents this as a blue portion raising up the bar, the second game shows the bar raising normally, and the third and fourth games simply make the intended amount appear instantly. Damage appears as a red portion decreasing from the bar in all games.

In Devil May Cry 2, a normal enemy's Vitality Gauge appears as a red bar in the corner of the screen.

A boss enemy's Vitality Gauge appears as an orange-yellow bar at the bottom of the screen, in the same design as the player's from each game. Damage is represented in the same manner as well, as a red portion decreasing from the bar. Most bosses cannot restore life, although there are notable exceptions: Vergil, from Devil May Cry 3, can activate a Devil Trigger which restores his HP slowly, and Nevan and Angelo Agnus, from the third and fourth games, respectively, both have an attack which drains the player's life and adds it to their own bar.

Trivia

 * An Untouchable (Devil May Cry) or a Smell of Fear (Devil May Cry 2) will allow the player temporary invincibility, thus preventing the drain of the Vitality Gauge.
 * In Devil May Cry 4, completely extending the Vitality Gauge will fulfill the 'Modus Vivendi' Achievement.